The nagaika, sometimes nagyka (, ) is a short, thick

whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

with round cross-section used by

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

, borrowed from the

Nogai people The Nogais ( ) are a Kipchak people who speak a Turkic language and live in Southeastern Europe, North Caucasus, Volga region, Central Asia and Turkey. Most are found in Northern Dagestan and Stavropol Krai, as well as in Karachay-Cherkessia ...

, hence the original name "nogaika", or "Nogai's whip". It is also called камча, kamcha from the Turkic word "kamci" for "whip". The latter word is also used for short whips of

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

n origin.

Description

The nagaika was made out of leather strips by

braiding A braid (also referred to as a plait; ) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing three or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strand ...

. It was possible to have a piece of metal at the tip of the whip. A short loop is attached to the handle so that the nagayka would hang from the arm when the grip is released or lost. The main purpose of a nagaika was to urge a horse to move forward or to gallop. A metal piece was traditionally used as a defense against

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

. According to

Vladimir Dahl Vladimir Ivanovich Dal (, ; 22 November 1801 – 4 October 1872) was a Russian lexicographer, speaker of many languages, Turkologist, and founding member of the Russian Geographical Society. During his lifetime he compiled and documented the o ...

's "

Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language The ''Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language'' (), commonly known as ''Dal's Explanatory Dictionary'' (), is a major explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. It contains about 220,000 words and 30,000 proverbs (3rd edi ...

", this nagayka was called ''volkoboy'' (волкобой, "wolf-slayer"). In modern times the descriptions of the military use of nagaika tend to be mythologized. As in the past, the prime and predominant use was to control or drive a horse. At the same time the nagaika was known to be used against unarmed people, e.g. for

corporal punishment A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment which is intended to cause physical pain to a person. When it is inflicted on Minor (law), minors, especially in home and school settings, its methods may include spanking or Padd ...

or to disperse public disorders (e.g., during Russian Revolutions), so that a mounted cossack using a nagayka against worker or student demonstrators become a symbol of tsarist oppression. In 2005 the

were reformed and armed with nagaikas in addition to other traditional weapons. In 2014, members of

Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Feminism in Russia, Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in the fall of 2011 by the th ...

were attacked by Cossacks wielding nagaikas and

pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, mace, or capsicum spray is a Tear gas, lachrymator (tear gas) product containing as its active ingredient the chemical compound capsaicin, which irritates the eyes with burning ...

while protesting.

Russian Imperial Army nagaika

Below is an official regulation of the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

for the nagaikas of the Cossack troops from a 1911 book.Руководство к постройке обмундирования и снаряжения для нижних чинов всех казачьих войск
1911, ''

Russian State Library The Russian State Library () is one of the three national libraries of Russia, located in Moscow. It is the largest library in the country, second largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Its holdings crossed over 47 million ...

Gallery

References

External links

"Nagayka"
construction and technique (an excerpt from the book Г. Э. Адамович, Р. И. Федин
Владение холодным оружием (казачьи техники)
)
"Вольная станица"
design and kinds {{commons category, Nagyka Whips Cossack culture

Description

Russian Imperial Army nagaika

Gallery

References

See also

External links